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Every summer, the paths of William Land Park come alive with all things banana for the annual Sacramento Banana Festival. Taking a look at the banana’s influence as a staple food in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, the festival incorporates activities that celebrate those cultures, including jazz and reggae music and international dance performances. One unique draw is the Power Soul Stroll 5K Run/Walk, and food lovers can munch on plantain chips, banana teacakes, or frozen bananas. There are also banana-themed art exhibits and an open-air marketplace, making it easy to find the right banana depiction for your home's kitchen or banana closet.
To close out the day,
watch kids mug for the audience in the banana pageant or spend some time walking down the banana bread path while tasting recipe samples and raising money for local organizations.

The course itself carries on that fun vibe, too. Winding through city streets and local parks, the 5K route is dotted with hydration stations that dole out hot chocolate. Holiday music, a giant Santa inflatable, and snow blowers help to set

Now celebrating its 17th anniversary, the Sacramento Art Festival continues to blossom as one of the country's top cultural jubilees with its periphery-stretching array of creations. This year's festival features 225 artists working a myriad of techniques, including painting, sculpting, ceramic making, printmaking, photographing, metalworking, stone crafting, and pyrokinetic blacksmithing. Forty-two painters display their works in oils, pastels, watercolors, and acrylics, while 25 ceramic artists unveil porcelain masterpieces. Meanwhile, 18 woodworkers whip out their exotic carvings, 12 sculptors find malleability in bronze, and 40 jewelers forge and fuse adornments. To boot, most of these artists are happy to share their tricks of the trade with attendees. The spirit of competition also adds to the glee of gawking, as all art is reviewed by a jury.
Throughout the day, art fans can feast on Restaurant Row's variety of Greek, Indian, and American grub while taking in the sounds of GG Amos Blues Bands and the Kurt Ribak Jazz Quartet. After eating, guests can watch the comedy jugglers and marvel at their ability to keep balls in the air without breaking any pottery.

Sometimes sipping a cold beer feels great. Sometimes sipping 18 cold beers feels better. Better than that? Joining hundreds of beer fans on the outfield of the Sacramento River Cats' home turf to sample beers from nearly 70 breweries while listening to live music. A joint effort of Raley Field and the Northern California Brewer’s Guild, the 2012 Raley Field Brewfest distills the thrills of a baseball game without the baseball or rabid mascots. Now in its sixth year, the sprawling celebration covers the playing field's quarter-mile semicircle with local craft-brew vendors, including Auburn Alehouse and Knee Deep Brewing Co., touting their frosty, frothy libations. Near second base, live bands bat good-time tunes into the air as hops and barley funnel into thankful gullets. VIPS gain daylight, vampire-free drinking privileges and bubbly bragging rights with early access and eight beers more than standard tickets.

Groupon Guide

Let’s get real: sometimes the “music” part of a music festival can be a total bust. (Especially when a massive downpour sidelines multiple acts, as happened at Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival earlier this month.)
But one thing that never disappoints is the people watching. We did a lot of that at Pitchfork this year, and picked up plenty of festival-fashion inspiration along the way. Here are some of the style lessons we learned.
Statement sunglasses are most definitely still a thing.You should absolutely coordinate outfits with your besties.Repping your favorite artists can be more subtle than a straightforward band T-shirt. The guy on the left has a logo for indie-music label DFA Records peeking out from behind his overalls, while the gal on the right is rocking a “Mom’s Spaghetti” tank we can only assume is a shout-out to Eminem. (Or maybe her mom just makes really awesome spaghetti.)
Don’t be afraid to wear denim on denim. It’s always important to watch your proportions. Pairing a strappy bralette with a full, high-waisted skirt or an oversized tee with above-the-knee shorts balances the silhouette. At center, we see how important it is to choose a jumper for your body type—the form-fitting top keeps the palazzo-pant legs from overwhelming this woman’s petite frame.As one of our favorite stylists predicted earlier this year, natural hair and makeup are everywhere in 2015. Skip braids, rows, or blowouts—let your textured hair go wild, like Parquet Courts frontman Andrew Savage (pictured at left). Mimic the au naturale makeup look of the girl at center with a peach or nude eye shadow and a pale pink lip.Just like our style-blogging BFF Isa Giallorenzo taught us, matching your lipstick to your accessories can be very striking (especially when played against a plain white top).We loved the almost monochromatic looks we kept seeing. Especially on headliner Vic Mensa (pictured at right), who even rocked white-and-red sunglasses to match his outfit’s color story. Bonus points to the guy in the middle for so perfectly matching his prints to his solids. *Slow clap.*
These ladies prove what we’ve been saying all along: rainwear can look cool.
And as Chance the Rapper proved, wearing gym clothes outside of the gym (or laser-tag shirts outside of the laser-tag arena?) is dope, too. Perhaps the biggest trend we’ve seen is men in prints. Of course, no one’s worn it as boldly as Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring, who danced so hard his paisley shirt eventually came unbuttoned. (Don’t worry, he assured the crowd he’d write a strongly worded letter to the garment’s manufacturer.)
Photos by Grant Walsh and Jeremey Watson for GrouponCheck out related reads:The Groupon Guide's Street Style CollectionOur favorite women's and men's fashions from our favorite neighborhoods, festivals, and style events.Mom Jeans Are, Like, Totally Cool Now
No, really. Read on for two ways to rock the high-waisted trend: one casual, one dressed up.

Even if you have $275 to shell out for Lollapalooza, you’re flat out of luck—the festival sold out back in March, less than 45 minutes after passes went on sale. But don’t worry. If you’re looking for summer music festivals that still have tickets available (and won’t break your bank), we’ve got six.KS 107.5 Summer JamFiddler’s Green Amphitheatre | Englewood, CODate: June 12 Lineup: Tech N9ne, Trey Songz, Kid Ink, Childish Gambino, and more. Tickets: starting at $29.50 (also available via Groupon) Why You Should Go: Pretty much every hip-hop station hosts its own festival during the summer. KS 107.5, however, stands out by covering an especially diverse amount of ground within the genre, from motor-mouthed icon Tech N9ne to alternative rapper (and actor) Childish Gambino.Chicago Blues FestivalGrant Park | Chicago, ILDates: June 12–14 Lineup: Zora Young, Buddy Guy, Clarence Carter, Taj Mahal Trio, and more. Tickets: Free Why You Should Go: Though it’s the largest of Chicago’s music festivals (and the largest free blues festival in the world), Blues Fest tends to be much less chaotic than Lollapalooza. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wants to mosh, crowd surf, or start a fight during Buddy Guy’s laidback headlining set on Saturday.Mamby On the BeachOakwood Beach | Chicago, ILDates: July 11–12 Lineup: Passion Pit, Empire of the Sun, Phantogram, Röyksopp, and more. Tickets: $59+ (also available via Groupon) Why You Should Go: Plenty of summer festivals veer toward EDM chaos, but Mamby On the Beach tends to favor synth pop. As far as electronic music goes, it’s a sweet spot that’s danceable without overwhelming your senses. Oh, did we mention this is on the beach?The Forecastle FestivalWaterfront Park | Louisville, KYDates: July 17–19 Lineup: Sam Smith, My Morning Jacket, Widespread Panic, Modest Mouse, and more. Tickets: Starting at $74.50. VIP and travel packages also available here. Why You Should Go: Because it’s the closest you’ll get to the “anything goes” lineups of Lollapalooza and Coachella, while still being significantly less expensive than both. This year features everything from the gospel pop of Sam Smith to the cosmic roots rock of Louisville heroes My Morning Jacket. Expect an ecstatic crowd for the latter’s hometown show.Delaware JunctionHarrington Fields | Harrington, DEDates: August 14–16 Lineup: Toby Keith, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, and more. Tickets: $199 for three-day passes. Camping and VIP packages also available here. Why You Should Go: If you’re aching to live out the rugged stories told in songs by mainstream country acts such as Toby Keith and Jason Aldean, you can do so right at the festival by camping under the stars of verdant Harrington Fields.Get Shamrocked Irish Music FestivalTown Square Park | Murrieta, CADates: September 18–20 Lineup: Flatfoot 56, Gaelic Storm, The Young Dubliners, The Mahones, and more. Tickets: starting at $35 (also available via Groupon) Why You Should Go: The minds behind Get Shamrocked refer to it as “The Irish Coachella,” and for good reason. The lineup reads like a who’s who of Celtic rock, celebrating traditional Irish acts such as Gaelic Storm as well as the punk fervor of Flatfoot 56.Images: Trey Songz (30) by Mikey Hennesy, Chicago Blues Festival by gingerbydesign, and Beach House Panorama by Zepfanman.com, all under CC BY 2.0.

In certain regions across the US, the blooming of a specific flower heralds the arrival of spring—think bluebonnets in Texas or cherry blossoms in DC. We’ve rounded up five iconic flower festivals that usher in warmer weather with a gorgeous kaleidoscope of color.1. National Cherry Blossom Festival | March 20–April 12, 2015 | Washington DCEach spring, 3,000 cherry blossoms burst to life along Washington DC’s Tidal Basin and East Potomac Park. Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki gave the trees as a gift in 1912 to celebrate the friendship between Japan and the US. Today, more than 1.5 million people make the trek to DC each year to see the blossoms, making it one of the most popular flower festivals in the nation. Best time to go: From 1992 to 2013, the cherry blossoms’ average peak bloom occurred on March 31, but it varies from year to year depending on weather conditions. Check in with the National Park Service for up-to-date details on this year’s bloom. Where to stay: Rest your head in a charming inn in a DC neighborhood like Georgetown or Dupont Circle.2. Tulip Time Festival | May 2–9, 2015 | Holland, MichiganIn 1928, the mayor of Holland, Michigan, purchased 100,000 tulip bulbs from the Netherlands, planted them, and held a one-day festival to celebrate the town’s Dutch heritage. Nearly 90 years later, the festival has swelled to 8 days and drawn international acclaim. Each May, 4.5 million colorful tulip bulbs blossom along city streets and public parks. A large concentration of colorful tulips—more than 55,000—can be found on Windmill Island in front of the 260-year-old Dutch windmill. Best time to go: The weather determines when the tulips will hit full bloom. Visit the festival’s official website for updates. Where to stay: Stay in Holland itself or venture out to Grand Rapids, 30 miles away. The latter was our number one destination to visit in the US in 2015.3. Bluebonnet Festival | April 10–12, 2015 | Burnet, TexasLocated deep in Texas Hill Country, the town of Burnet is dubbed the “Bluebonnet Capital of Texas.” Here, the native Texan wildflower carpets the hills and roadsides in early spring. You might also glimpse Texas paintbrush, sunflowers, and black-eyed susans. Best time to go: The festival is short, so be sure to go that weekend. Where to stay: Burnet is 60 miles from Austin and 100 miles from San Antonio. You can also make a weekend of it and stay in Texas Hill Country.4. Rochester Lilac Festival | May 8–17, 2015 | Rochester, New YorkRochester’s first Lilac Festival was a bit of an accident. In 1890, several Rochester horticulturalists planted thousands of flowering blooms; eight years later, 3,000 townspeople turned out one sunny day in May to enjoy the magnificent display. The festival is now an annual tradition (with more than 500 varieties of lilacs) held in Highland Park, a green space designed in part by famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The fest has expanded to include a parade, several free outdoor concerts, an arts-and-crafts show, and more. Best time to go: The lilacs’ peak bloom date depends on the weather. Check the festival website beforehand to see when peak bloom is expected. Where to stay: Rochester makes the most convenient base. However, Buffalo, Syracuse, and Niagara Falls—named a top destination to visit in 2015—are all within easy driving distance.5. California Poppy Festival | April 18–19, 2015 | Lancaster, California
The Golden California poppy typically blooms around Earth Day every year, so the city of Lancaster, California, decided to marry the two events—and thus the California Poppy Festival was born. The fest is held on the outskirts of the Antelope Valley California Poppy Preserve, which is home to nearly 3 square miles of wild poppies, the state’s official flower. There’s also live music and an arts-and-crafts show. Best time to go: The festival is short, but the poppies are expected to be in bloom this year from mid-March through April. Where to stay: The closest big city is Los Angeles, about 70 miles away.Photo credits: photo courtesy of National Cherry Blossom Festival; photo courtesy of Amy Thomann, Groupon; Texas Bluebonnets by Theodore Scott under CC BY 2.0; Syringa vulgaris by LtPowers under CC BY-SA 3.0; Poppies by Ada Be under CC BY 2.0